Monsters, Inc. (2 Disc Blu-ray + DVD) (2001)

Admittedly, I am a fan of Pixar's work. Their artists have done some incredible animated features over the years. Between the "Toy Story" movies and "A Bug's Life," they have managed in a short time to build an impressive track record. Their shorts are also among the best ever produced. So my expectations going into this movie were very high.

The story concerns the monsters in your closet. The theory being that their world runs of the energy produced by children's screams. Sulley (John Goodman) is number one at getting screams. His main rival (Steve Buschemi) will do anything to gain the top spot. Oh, and they consider the touch of a human child to be toxic.

While not as instantly relatable as "Toy Story," the movie builds on the talents of Goodman and Billy Crystal (Mike) to bring you into this make-believe world as Sulley and Mike try to get little Boo back through the closet door to the safety of her bedroom.

Disney/Pixar has presented this well on DVD. Both Widescreen and Pan & Scan versions are available on the first disc. The second disc has games, outtakes, an award winning animated short, and a fun (easy to find) Easter Egg.

All in all, if you enjoy Pixar's work, or animated features in general, this is a must have for your collection.

Before anyone starts saying this has not been released yet and there cannot be a review of the Bluray edition let me tell you this, this movie has been available in Japan and Mexico for quite some time now, and I was able to get a copy of the Mexican edition, which was at one time, identical to the one to be released in the US. It is a 3 disc edition (2 BD plus DVD copy of the movie), this has now been changed to a 4 disc set in the US to include the additional digital copy.

Disc one starts with an intro by director Pete Docter, in which he pretty much explains all the contents in this 'glorious' high definition version of the movie. A mini documentary on the 'Monsters, Inc: Ride & Go Seek ' ride in Disney Japan is also included. The highlight to me was the creators 'Round table' in which they talk about the process of creating the movie, some deleted scenes not included in prior DVD versions are shown here and they finally explained to me why is it so difficult to get a reservation at 'Harryhausen's' if all the staff from the scare floor seems to hang around there!

The Pixar shorts 'For the birds' and 'Mike's new car' (originally made on 4:3 format) are also included in HD format (as previously released in 'Pixar shorts)

The movie is presented in 1:85:1 aspect ratio. The word that comes to mind to describe how this looks is simply 'Beautiful', the colors, the textures, Sullivan's fur, the character's skin textures, Roz' sweater. Details pop up, colors are bright and clear. I had never noted that the real name of 'Boo' is actually in the movie until I saw it on Bluray!

The audio is another improvement of this BD edition. Presented in an uncompressed 5.1 track, the music by Randy Newman and the sound effects (check the audio in the door chamber sequence or every time 'Boo' laughs/cries and there is a power variation) sound just great. Spanish and French Dolby Digital tracks are also included. An audio commentary with the creators provides a lot of details of the movie, since I have watched this over and over with my 2 year old kid I have been able to play the commentary a couple times so he watches the movie and I learn about how it was made.

One thing I noted though, the end credits in the Bluray are not the same as in the DVD. The DVD will have the bloopers play while the credits roll, while the Bluray does not. Those 'Bloopers' though are included in disc 2 as additional features.

Disc 2 includes a feature called the 'Employee's manual' Additional spots created to promote the film are included too. Storyboards and drawings from the artists in HD as well as the '100 doors challenge', which is like a trivia game in which based on your responses you will be offered a position in Monsters Inc. Disc 3 as mentioned earlier, is a DVD copy of the movie (in the Mexican edition the 4:3 presentation is included, NOT widescreen) which is great as my kid can have that to watch it as many times as he desires.

Fans of the movie or any Pixar movie should not miss this!

Buy Monsters, Inc. (2 Disc Blu-ray + DVD) (2001) Now

If you look at my other Amazon[.com] reviews, you will notice that I don't review movies and truth by told, I watch very few movies. Perhaps 2-4 per year, including both in the theater and at home on video or DVD. I'm just not a movie fan.

But tonight, we rented the Monsters Inc DVD and I absolutely loved it! Clever, hilarious, touching, innovative, unique, imaginative those words don't begin to tell about this movie! You just have to see it.

It's such a pleasure to see a G-rated movie doing so well, both at the box office and also sales of the products for home viewing. This movie is totally free of sex, profanity, and substance abuse. Some of the action could be called violence, but not in the sense we usually define violence in movies! This movie might scare a 4-year-old, however. You need to know your own child to know if he's ready for this action-packed, laugh-a-minute masterpiece!

I watched this with my husband and two of our older kids (ages 19 and 21). We all enjoyed this movie immensely and can't wait to watch the extras on the other DVD. I can actually see watching this movie again, as the humor flies fast and furious and I know I missed a some good lines!

You will be touched by the relationship between Sully (the big blue monster) and the little girl he affectionately names Boo. He puts her safety above his job and above the good of the company. This little girl they created is nothing short of charming and endearing. You will instantly love her and cheer Sully on as he does everything he can to protect her.

The premise of the movie that the Monsters collect screams of children which in turn power the city that the Monsters live in, is nothing short of genius. This DVD would be a great gift for many people on your Christmas List regardless of their age!

Read Best Reviews of Monsters, Inc. (2 Disc Blu-ray + DVD) (2001) Here

DISC ONE: For moviegoers during summer of 2001, the marquee was packed with animated options: Shrek, Atlantis, Final Fantasy and Monsters, Inc. If you disect the movies, the first two end up being dissapointing when viewed in the small screen and Final Fantasy is just made with a different public in mind. Now, Monsters, Inc. achieves in DVD format the same feel you got when you (hopefully) saw it in theaters: the movie IS a great movie for all ages. No bells and whistles: simply brilliant!

The script is very funny, clever and innovative (it is worth seeing on the DVD how much it evolved from the original treatment it was going to have...), turning around the ageless childhood fear of monsters into a fear of kids BY monsters, who need kids' screams in order to power their society. Top ranking scarer, big, blue and furry Sulley (voiced by John Goodman) and his one-eyed assitant, Mike Wazowski (brilliantly played by Billy Crystal) see their "monstrous" lives turned around when Sulley accidentally brings a little girl (Boo) by accident into their monster world.

Complementing the script and the voices, the animation is incredible. The faces of the characters, the blinking of the eyes (the red in the eyes, when Mike sprays antibacterial stuff on his face, the glassy look in Sulley's eyes toward the end of the movie), the fur of Sulley (every hair moving just as if he were real), the illumination all through the movie. Plus the persecution scene leaves you speechless: there's SO MUCH happening in it, and it's so seamless: one of the great animation accomplishments of the movie without any doubt.

DISC TWO: One element that powerfully called my attention is the very human (is that ironic or what?) touch that the second disc has. For example, the Director, the two Co-Directors and the Producer appear in the very beginning, showing you how to find your way around the DVD. It's not that it's a convoluted DVD or anything of that sort: simply the two discs are packed with all sorts of goodies and they are making an effort to have you find it all.

One of the best things included in disc 2 is the Oscar-winning animated short film "For The Birds" which we all enjoyed in theaters so much right before Monsters started. Also included are the complete outtakes (call them "bloopers" from the movie, if you may, whose concept alone makes you scratch your head in surprise while you laugh till it hurts). But the fun to disc two doesn't end there: there is a wealth of details for the more technically-inclined or those who simply are curious about the way animation is done, with a whole tour through the process, from story reels, to layout, animation, simulation (a key component in the level of perfection accomplished with Sulley's fur and the way Boo's big shirt works) ahd shading/lighting. Same thing is done with design and music & sound. Wrapping up the goodies is a pretty fun tour of Pixar studios where you can catch a glimpse of why these guys are able to come up with such a funny movie: they're having a blast there! :D

Technical comments

-If you view the DVD on a computer (as I did), the first time you do it, you will go through the installation of the InterActual player software. Hit "Accept" at every step of the way: whether you like it or not, you won't be able to take advantage of all the elements in the DVDs unless you view it using this software...

-Another detail for computer users: the "Peek-A-Boo Door game" was useless on my computer. It's designed to be played when viewing the DVD on a DVD player. In fact, it almost brings my laptop to its knees. So, my recommendation to you DVD-viewers using a computer to go past the intro page with all the games on it and click on to view the movie.

-Subtitles included are in English only, so that probably will not make Spanish-only or French-only-speaking viewers too happy, n'est-ce pas? Verdad?

In general, though, excellent! Five stars to this incredible production by Disney and to its Two-Disc Collector's Edition. You will enjoy every bit of it and watch it several times over.

Want Monsters, Inc. (2 Disc Blu-ray + DVD) (2001) Discount?

This is one of the best DVD's I've gotten to date. The movie itself is wonderful and includes the voice talents of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, John Ratzenberger, Jennifer Tilly, and James Coburn. As you probably already know the storyline, I'll just talk about DVD.

You get 2 discsone contains the movie itself (with the "full screen" or "widescreen" versions, as well as a director's commentary option)and the second disc is chock full of goodies! You get "For the Birds" the 2001 Academy Award winner for Best Animated Short Film (shown in theaters before the movie), and "Mike's New Car" (exclusively created for the video and DVD release, as well as an exclusive sneak peek of "Finding Nemo", the newest upcoming release from Disney starring Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, and Willem Dafoe. Plus, if you choose the "Human Door" option, you get a tour of the Pixar animation studios by the makers of the film. They'll show you deleted scenes, 3-D location flyarounds, and animation gags and "inside" jokes. The "Monster World" door is where the real fun startstrain for your first day at Monster's Inc.; see the employee handbook, and play the "Boo's Door Game", which works like a CD rom-type game. Use your remote control to go through doors and find pieces of Boo's door that come together like a puzzle. The kids and I had tons of fun playing this together. Even our 4-month old son laughed heartily while rocking in his swing. Definitely a DVD for familes to ownworth every penny for the amount of material you get. Buy it, buy it, buy it now!

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